Troubador Publishing Reviews 

“From start to finish, Troubador were most professional and accommodating. The process of publishing is time consuming, but in the end more straightforward than I had anticipated because of Troubador’s expertise. I would not hesitate in recommending them to other authors. The finished product looked fantastic and when the books were delivered, it was a truly wonderful moment!”

This is the second time I have used Troubador which says something in itself. Customer care and communications are excellent, as is the quality of the finished books.

Outstanding from start to finish! All the Troubador staff were totally professional, approachable and incredibly efficient! I will look no further for my next children's book publication. Troubador all the way!!

I was a complete novice with regard to the writing & publishing of a book when I approached Troubador (recommended to me by one of the mainstream publish houses). It was a daunting experience but as I progressed through the various stages I was so impressed with the level of support, patience, guidance and speed of responses by the various members of the Troubador team. Troubador also has a lot of information on their website to assist with understanding the various services. I used the copy edit service & realized that i should have been more attentive to detail and my requirements. A word of advice to new users is to pay attention to detail & ensure that you clearly communicate your needs as the team can only act on your requirements/instructions. The only criticism was that I requested 100 books to be sent to me & instead received 200 - perhaps they have confidence in my selling skills :). I am really happy with the overall experience & highly recommend using Troubador to get your book published!

Troubador has knowledgeable and efficient staff, whose expertise was valuable in all the steps of publishing my book NOT TO FALL ON ICE. Copy editing was done with clarity and on time, production schedules were followed as planned. Marketing and distribution are still somewhat grey areas, engaged and paid for, but with no clear results as yet (still early days). Troubador's reputation enhances the publishing experience.

My debut book evolved into the completed manuscripts of two debut books, 'Kimyo and Fusa' and 'Freyja'. Now what? I realised I was on a ginormous learning curve about every stage of the self-publishing process. After some research, I decided on a UK company, Troubador. From the beginning, the person assigned to me insisted that the Palatino Linotype font I wanted to use was not legally available. Much later, I learnt that their information was nonsense. In the meantime, I paid a significant amount to Linotype to use it. A Canadian company then said they needed no authorisation to use it.
I then attended Troubador's annual event in Leicester in September 2024 to explore the services I might need, including seeking definitive advice regarding the font. There were lots of attendees. The atmosphere among the Troubadour staff, from the owner to the person I was hoping to speak with, was a mix of occasional condescension, even impatience, and a clear indication that they were too busy to engage with an individual. You were just one of many bums on seats. One should simply pay for the services they said were needed, without too much tiresome explanation. My assigned person fobbed me off, saying that once I continued to the next stage, the person in design, I think, would deal with it. I took the business card of one of the design people, I think, who had been one of the speakers. Following the event, I emailed the same query about fonts, etc. to them, copying my assigned person. In October the assigned person then came back to me, saying Troubador was obviously not the right company for me and their interest was terminated.
Troubador came across as predominantly business-centred rather than client-centred. They were fixated on their organisation and had no time for individuals. They did not seem to be aware that a predominantly client-centred approach is inherently business-centred. I heard a similar appraisal from another punter who attended that day, saying they had heard good things about TAUK. I made a note. It proved to be the only positive outcome of the event. At TAUK, I found a totally different service. My books are published, and I have learnt a great deal thanks to their patience and expertise. I couldn't recommend TAUK highly enough. I hope to start the third book in the series in the new year and will undoubtedly return to TAUK once it is finished.
I remember the name of the assigned Troubador person. At the time, I was convinced they were in the wrong field, lacking both people skills and expertise. They were young, so I won't embarrass them with their name. We all learn as we gain experience. I assumed their attitude was more a reflection of either the lack of training by any line manager, if they had one, or of the personal attitude/example displayed by management. I did not respond with a review earlier, as my priority was publishing and marketing my two books, alongside other, often more critical priorities in life. However, it was always on my to-do list following the abrupt termination email I received back in October.

Troubador have published a whole series of my books over the past twenty years. For each title, they have made the publishing process as straightforward and as anguish-free as possible, principally through the professionalism and the sheer pleasantness of their helpful staff. It would be difficult to find any fault with the service they provide.

I would, without hesitation, recommend Troubador to anyone who is considering self-publishing.
During the process, you really feel looked after by those responsible for the particular phase you're dealing with on your way to publication.

Great team with dedicated jobs for the different features of publishing. Upfront fees for every stage, all of which are optional with no pressure at all. fully professional service, would use it again.

I have had two novels published by Troubador in the last year and I have to say they have been first rate. Their processes are slick, you are passed from one phase of the preparation to the next seamlessly. They are extremely quick in responses to queries, they listen to and act upon your preferences, and the two books they have published for me have been extremely handsome tomes. I thoroughly recommend them.

There's three main areas I would highlight in particular.

1. The quality of the final product - I was so happy when I saw a paperback copy. All the work with the cover design, type setting and paper choice really came together. It looked just as good as the books I saw on the Troubador shelf at the trade show.

2. Transparency of how they operate - costs are broken down in precise detail and no hard sell for any of them. As a result I made more informed choices than would otherwise have been the case, and also had some money left in my budget to pursue other areas.

3. Troubador's people - they were very responsive, unfailingly polite and showed infinite reserves of patience when answering my questions (often for the third or fourth time).

It was a challenging deadline from my perspective but it came out on time and without compromise.

Why do people use vanity publishing like this and pay to be published. There are plenty of publishers out there that will publish your book, pay the costs and pay royalties - as long as it's good enough.

The Troubador team have been absolutely brilliant in helping us publish our book. They are knowledgeable about the publishing process, responsive when we needed answers and patient when we were held up at our end, but despite their highly professional approach, they still made the publishing process feel warm and personal. Our production controller, Jessica Woodward, was central in forming this opinion. The finished product looks great and we would recommend them to anyone thinking of self publishing who wants a quality product at the end of the process.

I appreciated the measured approach Troubador staff have taken with the publication of my book. I had contacted them after experiencing pretty awful service from another publisher and the contrast was extraordinary. I particularly valued Troubador's desire not to rush the process and to make sure, at every step, that I was happy with the way things were going: the cover design; the editing; the lay-out etc. Although different stages of the publication process are managed by different members of staff, each takes the time to introduce him or herself and explain this next stage, emphasising the importance of asking if anything is not clear or needs modification. I think that Troubador's understanding that self-publishers are probably managing conflicting emotions - juggling an ardent commitment to their writing with niggling doubts as to its real worth - underpins their professional but sensitive delivery. I recommend them unreservedly and have submitted a second book for them to publish.

The whole process was professional and efficient from start to finish. Communication was excellent and there was a strong sense that Troubadour aims to provide the best possible service for their authors.

I had a great experience with Troubador. The initial information was clear, reliable and honest. Communication with all key people was prompt and very efficient. All questions and queries were dealt with patiently and thoroughly. I was very pleased with the final product and particularly impressed with the care and attention to detail that went into the production. I've been published by commercial houses beforehand and Troubador's processes easily match what I've experienced there. I recommend without reservation.

Being a first time author, I was apprehensive about the process of getting my book published. The staff at Troubador were supportive, knowledgeable, approachable and encouraging. The process was clear and effective but it was the personal touches of the various people involved in the process who made the experience so positive and exciting.

Very pleasant and efficient people to deal with.

As a newcomer to the world of publishing, Troubador was the answer to all of my uncertainty. The whole team was friendly and helpful throughout the entire process and I always felt that I was in control of the important decisions. I really appreciated that their advice was not only clear, helpful and relevant, but that it was also realistic. My emails were replied to in a timely manner and I never felt pressured into taking any of their services. No hard sell here, just finding the best fit for the project. I was also delighted with the professional quality of the finished product. I would definitely use Troubador for any future projects and I would heartily recommend them to any new writers unsure of how to negotiate the jungle of publication.

I would give Troubador 5 stars. From beginning to end the process of getting my book published was wonderful. I felt safe with them and any questions I had were answered. The team were always on hand to support me and even after publication are available if I need them. Superb!